Aaron’s Weblog.

Working Through a Power Outage with the PeakDo LinkPower 2

A few months ago PeakDo sent me their LinkPower 2, a battery built for the Starlink Mini, to test. I’d wanted one anyway for power outages and for trips to parts of Costa Rica where cell service gets thin. After it got shipped to my friend in San Diego who brought it down to me, it sat on the shelf in the box without much thought.

Yesterday morning a transformer blew near my building in San José. The power went out, and after my pathetically small UPS lost battery, the internet went with it, and I had a client call I couldn’t miss.

My phone’s hotspot was my first try, but inside my apartment with concrete walls, I didn’t get sufficient signal for a video call. So I opened the box, plugged the LinkPower 2 into the Starlink Mini, and sat it on the roof, hoping the Wifi would reach my apartment. It did! I didn’t read the manual or change a setting. It was all very plug and play.

A Starlink Mini with the PeakDo LinkPower 2 attached, sitting on a rooftop ledge above San José with mountains and clouds behind it

My Starlink Mini and the LinkPower 2 on the roof, while the building below had no power.

The outage lasted about three hours. I stayed online the whole time, took the call, and the client never knew the lights were off on my end.

The Starlink picked that morning to install a software update, which cost about 5% of the battery. It didn’t knock me offline, so I didn’t mind.

Outages here are usually short, but even a short one ruins a call if it lands at the wrong moment. The Starlink Mini keeps me connected when the local internet dies, but it still needs power. The LinkPower 2 is a 99Wh battery that PeakDo rates at about five hours of Starlink runtime, and it’s small enough to throw in a bag.

It’s out of the box now, and ready for the next outage. When I drive out to the remote corners of the country, it’ll ride in the car with me.

Disclosure: PeakDo sent me the LinkPower 2 for free. They didn’t see this post before I published it, and the opinions are mine.

#starlink #costa-rica #gear
Aaron smiling in a park in front of a red LOVE sculpture A stenciled sign on the pavement reading "Solo buena vibra," with Aaron's sneakers at the edge of the frame Two tacos on patterned plates, one topped with cucumber, cilantro, and pickled carrots Aaron smiling in front of a black-and-white mural with a skull and crossbones An ornate stone building lit up at night, with Mexican flags hanging from its balconies A basket of croissants, pain au chocolat, and other pastries at a bakery counter A breakfast bowl of scrambled eggs, chilaquiles, pickled onions, and bread next to an iced coffee Aaron and a friend taking a selfie on a street in San Miguel de Allende, with the pink spires of the Parroquia behind them A lit church dome above a quiet street at dusk Aaron in sunglasses, mouth wide open, mimicking the shouting face of a bronze statue beside him

Aaron smiling in a park in front of a red LOVE sculpture

A stenciled sign on the pavement reading "Solo buena vibra," with Aaron's sneakers at the edge of the frame

Two tacos on patterned plates, one topped with cucumber, cilantro, and pickled carrots

Aaron smiling in front of a black-and-white mural with a skull and crossbones

An ornate stone building lit up at night, with Mexican flags hanging from its balconies

A basket of croissants, pain au chocolat, and other pastries at a bakery counter

A breakfast bowl of scrambled eggs, chilaquiles, pickled onions, and bread next to an iced coffee

Aaron and a friend taking a selfie on a street in San Miguel de Allende, with the pink spires of the Parroquia behind them

A lit church dome above a quiet street at dusk

Aaron in sunglasses, mouth wide open, mimicking the shouting face of a bronze statue beside him

Mexico has always welcomed me warmly. This trip to San Miguel de Allende and Guadalajara was no different. My friend Jadon and I met in SMA before he deployed in the Navy and then I took the bus to GDL to see my friends Lisa and Hugh (and Elly) who escaped there from the Puerto Vallarta heat.

Hasta la próxima!

Posted from Instagram.

#photos #mexico #travel

I’ve been thinking often about the next decade, how I want to design my life and what impact global acceleration will have on my life as I enter my second-half of life. How to prepare for the next decade by Scott Barker suggests we will need to adapt in 11 ways. I highly recommend reading this article.

#links
Chase’s first waterfall hike in the mud. He had no problem with the slippery pat ▶ Chase’s first waterfall hike in the mud. He had no problem with the slippery pat Chase’s first waterfall hike in the mud. He had no problem with the slippery pat Chase’s first waterfall hike in the mud. He had no problem with the slippery pat

Chase’s first waterfall hike in the mud. He had no problem with the slippery pat

Chase’s first waterfall hike in the mud. He had no problem with the slippery pat

Chase’s first waterfall hike in the mud. He had no problem with the slippery pat

Chase’s first waterfall hike in the mud. He had no problem with the slippery pat

Chase’s first waterfall hike in the mud. He had no problem with the slippery path but he almost caused me to fall a few times with his excitement.

#photos

The occasional dispatch

Notes on building, investing, and life in Costa Rica.